Letter: Problems in the Falls aren’t due to parkway

Problems in the Falls aren’t due to parkway

Niagara Falls officials are once again taking straight aim to shoot themselves in the foot. Harvey Albond, a former city manager, is complaining that the Robert Moses Parkway acts as a bypass to the city. This latest salvo against the parkway would be laughable if it wasn’t so sad.

The traffic bypass argument was used several decades ago, when the section inside the state park was removed to be more compatible to Olmsted’s original vision, and to force travelers to enter the city. Since then the economics of downtown have continued to deteriorate and the condition of the city has become an absolute embarrassment for our Western New York community.

If there were good restaurants, fun entertainment venues and interesting retail shops, no parkway presence would keep people away. City and business leaders are promoting the same discredited ideas and ignoring the obvious truth about what really ails Niagara Falls. If they sincerely want to find the problem, they should start by looking in the mirror.